Natural Ingredients vs. Man-Made Ingredients
Everything in the world - natural and man-made - is a chemical
Consumers often have an intuitive affinity for "natural" ingredients because they feel that natural materials must be purer and safer. However, this is not always the case. Learn more about consumers' common fears »
Defining "natural"
A natural ingredient is a substance that occurs in nature and is either unprocessed or separated from its natural state. Natural materials can be animal, vegetable or mineral. Sometimes ingredients need to be processed more extensively before use, such as conversion of coconut oil into surfactants for shampoos. Although these materials are no longer termed as "natural," they may be considered "naturally derived." There are also materials that are identical to those found in nature, but are sourced synthetically so that the plant or animal source is not consumed during processing, such as certain perfume ingredients found naturally in plants.
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Did You Know... Whether an ingredient is natural or man-made has no bearing on its safety or performance? Many people believe that natural ingredients work differently in the body or are inherently safer than man-made, synthetic ingredients. However, there is actually no solid data to support this concept. In fact, both natural and synthetic ingredients can be safe or unsafe. You would not want to use a cosmetic containing an all natural "poison ivy extract" just because it is natural. Large numbers of common fruits and vegetables in our diet can contain low levels of natural chemicals that have been shown to cause cancer at very high doses in laboratory studies, even though routine intake of these foods is safe and in many cases health protective (due to other beneficial ingredients in them). It is the dose and use context of any ingredient that ultimately determines whether it is safe, not whether it comes from a natural or man-made source. Our bodies have developed general processes for using and metabolizing ingredients that do not distinguish whether they are natural or man-made. This is why we refer to "man-made" versions of the same ingredients found in nature, as "nature-identical." Safety Assessment » |
If an ingredient you use is also found in nature, why do companies choose to use man-made sources in some instances and not in others?
When P&G chooses ingredients for our products we may choose either a natural or man-made ingredient for a variety of different reasons, but here are general factors we consider: Did You Know... "Chemical-free" products are not chemically free? Even though the word "chemical" has gotten a bad name of late, everything in the world is made of chemicals, even us. Water, air and food are literally composed of thousands of chemicals. The only thing that would truly be chemical-free would be an utter vacuum - devoid of everything! Did You Know... All of nature is a chemical factory? A cucumber contains over 160 different chemicals and a strawberry contains over 130 different chemicals - all from natural sources! The air we breathe contains oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, among many other gases. « Back to: Making Sense of Safety Information Resources "Natural and Synthetic Chemicals in the Diet: A Critical Analysis of Possible Cancer Hazards." Swirsky Gold, Slone, and Ames (2001) Food Safety and Food Quality, Issues in Environmental Science and Technology pp. 95-128. National Research Council, Committee on Comparative Toxicology of Naturally Occurring Carcinogens, Carcinogens and Anticarcinogens in the Human Diet: A Comparison of Naturally Occurring and Synthetic Substances (Washington, DC.: National Academy Press, 1996). Ames, B, Profet, M, and, Swirsky Gold, L (1990) Nature's Chemicals and Synthetic Chemicals: Comparative Toxicology Proc Natl Acad Sci USA Vol. 87 pp. 7782-7786.
